Studio Ghibli is known the world over for their animated films, and with good reason! They may not quite be as wealth as Disney, but there’s no doubt that they have created many masterpieces that will withstand the test of time. They’ve also created numerous lovely, memorable soundtracks for their movies — and those songs have been perennial favorites for musicians seeking for inspiration for many years.

A quick look around YouTube will reveal too many covers to count, with everything from metal to pop to orchestral. With so many out there, it can be difficult to stand out — and yet many musicians manage to make covers that do just that and blow us away! Today, we have one such pair, Nicholas Yee and Shawn Gan, a cellist and classical guitarist, respectively, who add a sophisticated, sublime edge to some of Ghibli’s most well-known and beloved songs.

Both Nicholas and Shawn are YouTube-focused musicians who have produced a number of covers of popular songs, as well as some originals. Sadly, it looks like neither of their channels have seen much activity lately, but this collaboration, which was released in February, is simply too beautiful not to share. It goes without saying that the cello can make anything sound amazing, but Nicholas really does a great job at reimagining everything from pop songs like Maroon 5’s “Sugar” to film scores like the Interstellar theme song for the cello. And of course Shawn is no slouch either, playing everything from metal to pop to this awesome Frozen medley.

But today we’re here for the Ghbli, and the pair definitely deliver in spades!

For a little more animated musical beauty, here’s Nicholas playing all of the pieces of a Beauty & the Beast tune by himself.

It turns out that Nicholas is also a talented photographer, and when we spotted this photo on his Facebook page, we simply had to share it too. It would be right at home in a Miyazaki film, wouldn’t it?

Well, now that you’re feeling all refreshed and clear-headed, get out there and enjoy your Monday!